Purpose of the Health Indicator Report

The purpose of this health indicator report is to provide information about the use of alternative tobacco products (cigars, smokeless tobacco, and water-pipes) among adults aged 18 and over living in Halton Region.

Background

There are many different tobacco products available on the market. Alternative tobacco products are products other than cigarettes that contain tobacco. Cigars, chewing tobacco and water-pipes are a few example of alternative tobacco products. Cigars usually differ from cigarettes in the size and in the type of tobacco used. In addition, cigars have a tobacco wrapper while cigarettes are wrapped with paper.1 Smokeless tobacco is a type of tobacco that not smoked or burned, but used in a different form. Examples include chewing tobacco, snuff (which is inhaled through the nose) or snus (which is placed under the upper lip). A water-pipe, also known as hookah or shisha, is a device used to smoke moist tobacco or other herbal products. Hookah smoking is typically done in groups.

Alternative tobacco products present a significant health risk and contain many of the same toxic and cancer-causing agents as cigarettes. People who use chewing tobacco are also at a greater risk of oral cancers, while infections can be passed between individuals sharing a water-pipe mouth piece. For more information on the use of tobacco products in Halton Region, see the Smoking Status and the Electronic Cigarette Use indicator reports at halton.ca/healthstats.

Key Findings

Cigar Use

Overall Findings

In 2016, 39% of Halton adults reported having ever smoked a cigar, 10% reported having smoked a cigar in the past year, and 2% reported having smoked a cigar in the past 30 days.

Sex

In 2016, Halton males were more likely than females to report having ever smoked a cigar, and this difference was statistically significant.

Age

In 2016, Halton adults aged 18-24 and 25-44 were more likely than adults aged 45-64 and 65+ to report having ever smoked a cigar, and these differences were statistically significant.

Municipality

In 2016, there were no statistically significant differences by municipality in the percentage of Halton adults who reported having ever smoked a cigar.

Income

In 2016, the percentage of Halton adults who reported having ever smoked a cigar increased as income increased. These differences were statistically significant when comparing the low income group to the middle and high income groups.

Education

In 2016, there was no statistically significant difference by education in the percentage of Halton adults who reported having ever smoked a cigar.

Smokeless Tobacco Use

In 2016, 3% of Halton adults reported having ever used smokeless tobacco. Due to the small sample size, it was not possible to report on a breakdown of smokeless tobacco use by sex, age, municipality, income or education.

Water-pipe Use

From May-August 2016, 11% of Halton adults reported having ever used a water-pipe to smoke tobacco. Due to the small sample size, it was not possible to report on a breakdown of water-pipe use by sex, age, municipality, income or education.

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